Sustainability & Philanthropy

Sustainability & Philanthropy

A Generational Approach

We like to tell people that Kendall-Jackson takes a generational approach to farming the land and maintaining the environment. Our goal is to ensure that the land remains healthy and productive for the following generations to farm. Surely, the term generational approach may sound like a marketing slogan to some people, but the opposite is true.

Over the past 30 years our founder Jess Jackson and his family acquired some of the most desirable and dramatic vineyard land in California. His passion for the land was always clear and few things quenched his thirst like spending time in nature with his family.

Although Jess passed from this world in April 2011 (blog.kj.com/letter), we continue to see his dreams come true. His dream of maintaining the vitality of the land and our business for the next generation is a reality. His children are stepping to the forefront to help direct our company's future with their mother Barbara in charge. It's also very clear that Katie, Julia and Christopher are just as committed to being socially and environmentally responsible as their parents.

A BETTER WAY TO MAKE GREAT WINE

Being a family-owned business gives us the ability to make decisions focused on the long-term, rather than on quarterly stock market results. Managing our business from the vineyards to shipping our bottled wines, enables us to integrate sustainable practices into every stage of the art and science of winemaking.

While our investments and accomplishments put us on the leading edge, we believe sustainability is an ongoing journey. We continually search for ways to be better stewards of the land and the communities we share with our employees and neighbors. As a family-owned business, we take seriously our responsibility to create a healthy future that we can all savor.

HOW WE DEFINE SUSTAINABILITY

What does Sustainability mean to you? That's often not an easy question to answer. Defining sustainability is complicated. It means different things to different people and opinions are rapidly evolving. Just think back to five years ago - most of us hadn't even heard the term yet.

Our attitudes have changed with all the new information we've been exposed to. We've learned a lot about how products are grown and produced can have big impacts on the environment, the people making the products and the communities where companies operate.

Sustainable, or green, products seem to be the latest trend, but they're only the tip of the iceberg. Fostering a truly sustainable world requires us to start beneath the surface and grow from there. We use the international standard to define sustainability:

"The planning and activity that takes into account the long-term maintenance and well-being of the environmental, social and economic demands of the world around us."

Our goal is to drive shared environmental, social and economic value for all us to enjoy now an in the future.